1988 325 engine build options?

[e30strokr]

none of that stuff is doing to do squat. Specifically the injectors. Ebay chip? who knows what you're getting.

I agree with SkiFree. Either do it properly or leave it alone. You'll end up throwing away whatever you didn't do correctly the first time anyway.

I felt a significant difference in these mods.... not everyone can spend the amount of money that some are mentioning here so its an alternative way of going about it....

if you got the money spend it.. I don't so I give my suggestions... maybe he can get the intake brand new, the M50 injectors brand new, $250 chip or even the head for $1000.... I did all this with about $300 and got the 2.7 stroker going... and I was happy .. now Im on my 2nd 2.7i and doing the same... :hitler:

[nando]

.. get all for the "I" version if youre doing the 2.7 stroker, I have an issue with spending too much money on so little horsepower gains, I would leave the Miller, headers and "real chip" for later if you want to stay stock still do:
*the "I"intake,
*chip (ebay?)
*M50 fuel injectors..

this will give you noticeable gains... however youre still below the 160hp+ and maybe more that is possible with a real "I head" with cams and springs..

none of that stuff is doing to do squat. Specifically the injectors. Ebay chip? who knows what you're getting.

I agree with SkiFree. Either do it properly or leave it alone. You'll end up throwing away whatever you didn't do correctly the first time anyway.

[SkiFree]

Having been on the other end of the line dozens of times as a young college kid gets into a tight spot following "internet horsepower gains" with junkyard parts, I have a real issue with "ghetto" tuning and the potential issues that arise for someone whose already got too much on his plate.

As the OP said in the very first post, he wanted to do it properly. The parts I lay out are a safe and effective way to improve the driving experience.

OP, in regards to your frusterations. Shoot the shops I mentioned an email! They are not unreachable entities, and they certainly aren't in the business to get rich.

[e30strokr]

This was your original list, correct?

-MAF conversion (miller/m30)
-Chip (miller, dysilva, squid)
-Cam (IE, BH, Schrick)
-Headers (IE)

Every company Ive come across that sells these, either makes an eta version, or the standard 325i version, but I dont know which one to get because my seta motor is a mix of parts from both engines.

.. get all for the "I" version if youre doing the 2.7 stroker, I have an issue with spending too much money on so little horsepower gains, I would leave the Miller, headers and "real chip" for later if you want to stay stock still do:
*the "I"intake,
*chip (ebay?)
*M50 fuel injectors..

this will give you noticeable gains... however youre still below the 160hp+ and maybe more that is possible with a real "I head" with cams and springs..

[threadediron]

The good guys at Bimmerheads does not make the HD rockers, they are sourced from IE.

Many, including myself, would say a fresh M20 is much better than a crusty unknown M50/52 (swapped in by someone with limited experience).

Whichever way you choose, if you are adding power it takes decent money to do it right. Hence my initial recommended list.

This was your original list, correct?

-MAF conversion (miller/m30)
-Chip (miller, dysilva, squid)
-Cam (IE, BH, Schrick)
-Headers (IE)

Every company Ive come across that sells these, either makes an eta version, or the standard 325i version, but I dont know which one to get because my seta motor is a mix of parts from both engines.

[SkiFree]

The good guys at Bimmerheads does not make the HD rockers, they are sourced from IE.

Many, including myself, would say a fresh M20 is much better than a crusty unknown M50/52 (swapped in by someone with limited experience).

Whichever way you choose, if you are adding power it takes decent money to do it right. Hence my initial recommended list.

[illmaticD]

I thought engine swaps cost well over 1k. In fact, wouldnt 1k barely be enough for an engine alone?

I apologize for not including it, but I meant $1k for those parts, plus the total from the list I created previously in the thread. It puts your total at around $2400-2500, which puts you in the range where you should start considering an M5x swap. The cost isn't worth the benefit for someone with the same goals as the OP


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[threadediron]

I would also like to add that you can definitely go with a hotter cam, for example a Schrick or Bimmerheads cam. They'll get you closer to the power you are looking for. But they put stress on the OEM rocker arms. You might snap several rocker arms. And if you buy used 325i valve springs, they might not be strong enough to close at the appropriate time for the hotter cam, again resulting in valve float.

To remedy this, you have to get Heavy Duty rocker arms and heavy duty valve springs. Bimmerheads makes both. (And they have affordable reground camshafts!)

The price of a new cam, plus HD rockers and springs easily adds almost $1k to your build. This puts your total cost in "engine swap territory"


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I thought engine swaps cost well over 1k. In fact, wouldnt 1k barely be enough for an engine alone?

[illmaticD]

1988 325 engine build options?

I would also like to add that you can definitely go with a hotter cam, for example a Schrick or Bimmerheads cam. They'll get you closer to the power you are looking for. But they put stress on the OEM rocker arms. You might snap several rocker arms. And if you buy used 325i valve springs, they might not be strong enough to close at the appropriate time for the hotter cam, again resulting in valve float.

To remedy this, you have to get Heavy Duty rocker arms and heavy duty valve springs. Bimmerheads makes both. (And they have affordable reground camshafts!)

The price of a new cam, plus HD rockers and springs easily adds almost $1k to your build. This puts your total cost in "engine swap territory"


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SkiFree]

Does that mean I should swap to a true 885 head instead of keeping my "imposter" 885 head?

No, you will be fine. Out of the hundreds of 885 heads I've peered into, a handful of the early seta engines have had fewer oil passages. As has been said, it is something easily checked for and easily remedied.

The outer valve springs are the same, just have them checked (they do fatigue) and order up a new set of inners.

[illmaticD]

1988 325 engine build options?

Does that mean I should swap to a true 885 head instead of keeping my "imposter" 885 head?

It is rumored that early model Super ETAs have 4 oil passages in the head. Although all the ones I've seen all have 7, including mine.

It would make sense for them to have 7 because Super ETA's have a camshaft profile that looks similar to 325i camshafts, both of them having 7 main journals on the camshaft.

Regular ETA's ('87 and older) have a different head with 4 oil passages and four main journals on the camshaft.

In the event that such a head exists and that you do only have four oil passages in an 885, you can get the last three passages drilled out by a machine shop for $20-30, and still use the head.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[threadediron]

To be a bit blunt, their job isn't to educate you on what fits, that is up to you to pop open your valve cover and take a look inside.

Both your quotes from earlier are true. Assuming you are correct in that you you have a seta "885" head, it varies in a few ways from the true m20b25 885 head. Namely the cam, oiling holes, and springs.

Sticking to my original parts list would save you a lot of time and trouble while you are still a student.

Does that mean I should swap to a true 885 head instead of keeping my "imposter" 885 head?

[illmaticD]

OK so you probably have the original 2.7 engine meaning you got 127hp ...

SETA has the 325 head but not the springs or the camshaft that make it possible to have 160-180 hp (however I have heard that you don't absolutely need to have the dual springs in order to run the 325I am ie 320 engine has single springs and revs higher that an ETA?!?!? somebody confirmed)

you pretty much can use all the 325I performance stuff once you get the
I computer (alpina has a 2.7 stroker chip)
I cam
I intake
3.0 bar fuel pressure reg (like ilmatic said)

takes about one day (3-4 hrs) to do the swap/belt so on...

4.10 LSD differential would help out, however im not fond of 3/4k rpms regular drives thru town

you need the dual valve springs for when you run the 325i ECU. the single valve springs on the Super ETA are rated for the Super ETA's stock redline (5,500 rpm).

with the 325i ECU and 325i cam, the car will want to rev to 6,500 rpm, but the Super ETA valve springs are too weak to keep the valves closed at those higher RPMs. the resulting issue is known as valve float.

[illmaticD]

Much appreciated my friend. Just to clarify, you built the same exact engine I have?

And out of curiosity, have you had it dyno-ed after you built your engine? Im just curious how much of a gain you think you got out of it.

EDIT: I also saw you said you did the work yourself, how did you manage to get this done while attending school? Im guessing you are a commuter student and so you didn't have to work in the schools parking lot hahaha
Approx. how long did swapping all these parts take?
Thanks again for the help, I do appreciate it.

Same exact engine. Its a 1988 325 with a build date of 10/87. Came with the 885 head and the special pistons.

I haven't dynoed it, but if I were to guess without being too optimistic, its probably around 180 hp give or take. This is with refurbished 19lb Yellow Ford injectors and an M30 AFM (probably about $120 altogether). Definitely more than a stock 325i, but not a whole lot more. The 2.7i engine conversion is really about torque and a broader powerband.

And yes I am a commuter student at Kean University. I spent a little over a year stockpiling parts for my build (including for a manual transmission conversoin) while working part time 20-25 hours a week. I started working full time this summer, and when I finally got around to it, it took me about a little over 2 months of on-and-off work this summer to get the build done.

This was my first real build but I spent the past year researching every step thoroughly. even if i felt confident that i could do it, I still researched each step. and i did it all within my unevenly paved driveway. i've bought multiple sets of tools from harbor freight when necessary. but besides a good metric socket set and breaker bar, the only specialty tools i can recall that you'll need are a E-socket (Torx socket) set, wobble extensions, flat bicycle wrenches for removing your cooling fan, and a torque wrench. if you're close to my area, i'll even let you borrow them.

now i'm not saying that doing it yourself is a walk in the park. i ran into several hiccups. in fact, i completely trashed the head on my spare engine trying to remove the exhaust manifold bolts. they snapped inside the head and i botched completely the procedure to drill them out! and separating the exhaust from the exhaust manifold is a struggle, involving PB Blaster and multiple socket extensions/wobble extensions.

but if you really insist on going to a shop, Guten Parts in South Orange, NJ is the place to go!

[e30strokr]

OK so you probably have the original 2.7 engine meaning you got 127hp ...

SETA has the 325 head but not the springs or the camshaft that make it possible to have 160-180 hp (however I have heard that you don't absolutely need to have the dual springs in order to run the 325I am ie 320 engine has single springs and revs higher that an ETA?!?!? somebody confirmed)

you pretty much can use all the 325I performance stuff once you get the
I computer (alpina has a 2.7 stroker chip)
I cam
I intake
3.0 bar fuel pressure reg (like ilmatic said)

takes about one day (3-4 hrs) to do the swap/belt so on...

4.10 LSD differential would help out, however im not fond of 3/4k rpms regular drives thru town